Residents invited to support call by Berwick Heritage for a Maltings re-think
The Berwick Heritage group is inviting residents to support its plea to councillors to not approve final Northumberland County Council funding for the project to transform the Maltings venue.
Its open letter will ask councillors to defer the decision that has been recommended for approval by the local authority’s cabinet at a meeting of the full council on November 4.
More than 100 people have already supported its call.
Last month, the Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal board agreed a revised grant of £28.5million for the project, with the total cost going up to £33.4million.
The extra funding from the county council would increase its total contribution of £7.5million. This also includes investment in facilities at the Barracks in the town to provide temporary accommodation for Maltings activities and support the wider Living Barracks initiative.
The extra funding includes an additional capital funding allocation of £2.625million that a report to the meeting says “would be funded by prudential borrowing”.
Concerns have previously been raised by Berwick Heritage that the new development would, in its opinion, harm the town’s skyline.
It is also of the view that the cost of the project now is too much and alternative options at a much lower cost should be considered.
Julian Smart, for Berwick Heritage, said: “If you love Berwick and agree with us that the town’s unique charm is threatened by the current profligate Maltings plan, please join us in urging a re-think and the re-use of our current theatre.”
For more information, go to www.berwick-heritage.co.uk/ncletter and people can support the call by emailing [email protected] with ‘Maltings letter signature’ in the subject line, followed by their name and location.
The letter and a short video will be published on https://berwick-heritage.co.uk about a week before the meeting.
If it does go ahead, The Maltings project will include bringing the main theatre, cafe bar and dining spaces together on the same floor, improving accessibility and maximising views across the River Tweed.
On the level above there will be further public spaces, rehearsal space and meeting rooms.
The lower floors will be repurposed to create one large main cinema and a smaller boutique cinema, accessed directly from Shoe Lane and via a lift or stairs from the car park level.